Jon “maddog” Hall acknowledged he is gay, for the 100 anniversary of the birth of Alan Turing

Jon “maddog” Hall is the executive director of Linux International, a non-profit organization that promotes the Linux-based operating systems. His work as a programmer and teacher has been widely recognized, and this weekend in honor of the commemoration of 100 years of the birth of alan turing , wrote in Linux Magazine a letter acknowledging – at 62 – his own homosexuality.

“If you’re homophobic, you probably want to stop reading now.Go to the next blog or turn on Fox News, because the rest of this entry you will not be successful, “began Hall. The developer said he wrote a piece for the birthday of Turing, listing it as one of its greatest heroes, and acknowledged that he himself is gay.

“This announcement will surprise some, and not surprise others.I ‘out of the closet’ for some (usually my close friends) and not others. “

“I’ve been extremely fortunate in my life growing up in a technologically advanced environment.Most people in the world of electronics and computers in my world were like mathematicians Alan Turing time, highly educated and do not really care if his countrymen were gay or not, at least looking beyond sexuality and seeing the rest of the person, “he wrote.

“In fact, computer science were a haven for homosexuals, transsexuals and lots of other ‘sexual’, mostly because the history of science require relatively intelligent people and modern thought (…).That does not mean that people in computer science is homosexual, or even non-homophobic, but most of the community and companies have been more likely to accept and accommodate than others, “he said.

Hall said he decided to make this public announcement for several reasons, including “the realization that homosexuals ‘in the closet’ allow others to think we do not exist, or that we are less than those who are, or may not exist ‘in your backyard’, allowing them to believe that they exist, or believe that we are monsters.It’s much harder to hate lesbians and gays in general when you have a son or daughter, aunt or uncle, neighbor or friend who is lesbian or gay. “

Also “some heterosexuals say that we can be role models for young people, that somehow homosexuals have no redeeming qualities to us because of our sexuality, and can not be good parents,” among others.